Installing Your Windows Application

Once the DataFlex Client Engine is installed, you need to install your Windows application.

This process may include some or all of the following:

Installing Application Files

Creating and Setting Registry Settings

Installing and Registering ActiveX Controls

The best way to simplify application installation is to mirror the workspace setup of your development environment on the deployment PC or network server. If you need to change the workspace setup to be different than on your development PC, you will have to modify the workspace (.ws) file installed with your application accordingly.

Installing Application Files

Generally, files in the data, programs, help and bitmaps folders of a Windows application workspace are deployed. So, your deployed workspace's folder structure should look like this:

\Workspace

    \Bitmaps

    \Data

    \Help

    \Programs

The files listed below are only those created by the DataFlex development tools when building a DataFlex Windows application. If your application uses additional files, you must deploy these as well.

Data Folder

Depending on the database you are using, the required files may vary. If you are using databases in your application other than the embedded (DataFlex) database, please consult the documentation for those databases and drivers about additional files that may need to be distributed.

Embedded (DataFlex) database:

filelist.cfg

*.dat

*.hdr

*.k??

*.tag

*.vld (if present)

Pervasive.SQL:

filelist.cfg

*.btr

*.int

*.ddf

codemast.*

codetype.*

Microsoft.SQL:

filelist.cfg

*.mdf

*.int

codemast.*

codetype.*

 

Programs Folder

*.exe - compiled program files

*.exe.manifest - the manifest file is necessary if your compiled programs use the newer common controls

*.ws - workspace file(s)

You must install the workspace (.ws) file for your workspace in the same folder where your compiled program (.exe) resides, unless you specify the path to this file in your application.

Help Folder

If you have created help files for your application, you want to deploy these. If you are using HTML Help, you should only need to deploy *.chm. Consult the documentation of the help authoring system you use for more details about which files you need to deploy.

Bitmaps Folder

If you are taking advantage of the ability to embed bitmaps and icons as resources into a compiled application, you do not have to deploy those bitmap and icon files separately.

Creating and Setting Registry Settings

All Client Engine-specific and utility-specific Registry settings are automatically created during installation.

If there are additional Registry settings required for your application, you must create them as part of your application installation.

DF_Collate.cfg Special Note

When deploying applications which use a collating sequence other than the one used for the English language, it is critical that the df_collate.cfg file for the language you select is deployed to the Bin folder of the Client or Server installation.

Attention

When deploying your application, make sure that:

  1. The mapped drive on the workstation is mapped to the correct location and DataFlex client engine folders can be accessed through it

  2. The folder where Termlist.cfg and <serial_number>.dfr are located is read/write to all users who will be running the application

  3. A simple way to test this is by accessing the folder from the workstation and trying to create a new text file in the folder

  4. Termlist.cfg and <serial_number>.dfr match (same date/timestamp), are writable files,  and are only in one folder (no multiple copies found by the workstations)

  5. The shortcut on the workstation’s desktop created to run the application has TARGET correctly points to the application EXE and START IN points to the folder where the registration files (Termlist.cfg and <serial_number>.dfr) are located.

See Also

Deploying Windows Applications